Now that 2015 is drawing to a close, I wanted to share our experiences on how the new 2015 reporting procedures were handled by OSHA. As you know, the new reporting standards that went into affect as of January were as follows.

The Employer must directly contact OSHA should any of the following take place:

Any SINGLE employee admittance into the hospital

Any injury classified as an amputation w/in 24hrs of the incident

Any severe eye injury (loss of an eye or severe damage to the eye)

To put this as plainly as possible: OSHA kept their promise in 2015 that they would be investigating these incidents by means of onsite visits. As we know, these changes more readily alerted OSHA to severe issues that were taking place and gave them more direct access into the employer. As a result, we have seen each area office remain diligent in their investigation of these reportable incidents.

Two of our local clients have had amputations this week. We are sending this as an urgent reminder to please talk to your team about staying focused on the task at hand. This is the time of year when our minds are on the holidays rather than what we should be concerned with at work. For the men and women that work around hazardous conditions, this is not an option. Both of the clients who this happened to do an amazing job with their safety program. I say that because this can happen to anyone. I'm challenging each of you to do the following at your locations:

Have a member of the leadership team brief each shift on these 2 amputations this week (1 thumb from machinery, 1 finger tip from hand tools)

Remind everyone just how important keeping your mind on-task is when working around hazardous areas

Have the staff report near miss incidents (especially through the end of the year) so we can quickly address and manage potential hazards

Gain feedback from the staff about how they can help keep themselves and their teammates focused on safety

Each one of us at SSG values your business and your employees. Please allow these examples to be just that at your location; examples only. Timely education and effective communication can go a long way in preventing instances at your location. Please stay focused and please stay safe.